QA

How Does A Clutch Fan Work

What engages a clutch fan?

Most fan clutches are filled with a silicone-based oil. The oil is held in an internal reservoir when the fan is disengaged. To engage the fan, internal valves open and allow the fluid to fill the working area of the clutch. This creates friction between the drive plate and the housing, causing the fan to spin.

When should a fan clutch engage?

What Temperature Does a Fan Clutch Engage? The majority of them engages when the air temperature goes around 170°F, which means that engine temperature is around 180-190°F. Usually, they can reduce it by about 20°F before disengaging.

How do you test a fan clutch?

To confirm the diagnosis, start with this simple test: Spin the fan as hard as you can on an engine that has not been started that day. If the fan rotates more than five times, you can bet the clutch is bad. You should feel some resistance and the fan may spin up to three times, depending on the ambient temperature.

Is a clutch fan supposed to spin freely?

Expert Reply: If there is a fan clutch between the fan and radiator on your vehicle, then you will be able to turn the fan by hand when the engine is off and not running. If the fan is turning freely with no clutch, then there is a problem with either the belt being loose or the pulley will need adjustments.

Does a clutch fan pull or push air?

Neither. The fan on your car pulls outside air through your radiator to remove the heat from the engine coolant flowing through it. The fan increases air flow when it is necessary due to slow speed driving which does not move enough air through the radiator to maintain coolant temperature or on very hot days.

Does a fan clutch make noise?

Often times, it’s the fan clutch. When the clutch shoe inside the part gets stuck, it fails to disengage. When the fan is locked up, the cooling fan is permanently engaged. This causes the roaring noise.

How tight should a fan clutch be?

Snugged up is Good Enough. For “The Jesus Nut” to the Threaded outer portion of the Water Pump Snugged Tight is Fine.

What causes a fan clutch to go bad?

Inspect for leaks – The key to fan clutch function is its heavy silicone fluid or oil. Viscous properties of silicone oil allow for soft engagement to drive the fan, so if it leaks out, the clutch will weaken and eventually fail.

At what temperature should a fan clutch kick in?

At what temperatures do fan clutches engage? Answer: Most fan clutches engage at about 170°F air temperature (about 180-190°F engine temperature).

How do I know if my clutch is bad?

8 Signs of a Bad Clutch Weak Acceleration. Grinding Gears. Loose Clutch Pedal. Sticky Clutch Pedal. Other Noises. Won’t Shift into Gear. Won’t Stay in Gear. Burning Smell.

Is an electric fan better than a clutch fan?

When compared to an electric fan, fan clutches are quite inefficient. The benefits of a Thermatic Fan lay in its ability to provide constant air flow, improved fuel economy, better air-conditioning performance, cooler engine running and increased engine power.

How much is a clutch fan?

The average for Clutch Fan is $310 Repair Type Zip Cost Clutch Fan 98027 $179 Clutch Fan 7767 $352 Clutch Fan 75097 $391 Clutch Fan 11593 $331.

Which way does a car fan spin?

Yes. If you are in the vehicle looking at the motor, standard rotation would appear as counter-clockwise. Or if standing at the front of the vehicle the fan would be moving clockwise.

Can you lubricate a fan clutch?

Fan Clutch The bearings that support the drive shaft for this clutch regularly experience high temperatures. Krytox™ lubricants have low volatility and high viscosity, providing long life and excellent lubrication to the fan clutch bearing under these high temperature conditions.

What does a broken fan clutch sound like?

Another common symptom of a faulty fan clutch is excessively loud cooling fans. This may result in an excessively loud engine from the fan blowing at full speed. The sound may be easily audible and present at all times when the engine is cold and hot.

Does a fan clutch have bearings?

Fan bearings’ essential role Well, not quite. We may have gotten to the nitty gritty, but there’s one more component to a fan clutch that you need to know about — the fan bearing. A fan bearing (or pulley bearing) is the part that the fan spins on, and requires reliable operation to keep it running smoothly.

Will a fan clutch tighten itself?

it will tighten itself down just fine.

Can you drive with a bad fan clutch?

A failing fan clutch can actually cause the engine fan to become loose and wobble. Sometimes this wobble can be heard while driving, especially at freeway speeds. You can turn on your car’s engine while the vehicle is in park or neutral, pop the hood, and see for yourself that the fan is wobbling as it spins.

Will a bad fan clutch affect AC?

Absolutely, a bad one can damage your air conditioning system, as it acts as a heat exchanger for the air conditioning unit. The engine fan keeps the condenser cool which helps to keep the convertible’s AC system running smoothly.